You cant do it ALL….AND YOU SHOULDN’T EVEN TRY…

 

In Philippians 3:13 and 14 Paul wrote…

“Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (bold mine)

 Paul had one intent, one aim…that was to not live in the past of who he was but instead to focus on the task ahead of him. He says – ONE THING. Paul doesn’t say I am going to do these 15 things . He didn’t say that he wanted to start a cornucopia of “stuff” but he wanted to focus on moving forward to what was ahead, toward a goal.

 For the church – it cannot linger in the past, it cannot long for the good ole’ days. It can remember the good times (which by the way also include some bad times that we conveniently gloss over) but it cannot live there.

The church must also make a decision to succeed at that ONE THING – that is to the goal of the call of Christ Jesus. Let me rephrase that – the gospel MUST be central to everything.

Anything that does not have that at its central goal, focus and aim, well it might be a nice thing to do but it detracts from the Christ appointed goal.

You cannot DO everything, nor can the church take on every pet project or passion of every person in the church. Again, not that those things may not be good ideas, but that the question must be asked – DOES THIS HELP THE GOAL?

 At the fear of offending someone; giving blood is nice but does it really help the church achieve the stated goal – pushing an agenda of social justice might be honorable but the church wasn’t called to share social justice… its not part of the stated goal.

The members of a church are full of honestly good ideas, personal agendas and things that are very important to them. But the church must focus it’s energy, heart, passion, resources, etc… in spreading the gospel and sharing Christ.

So the difficult but honest truth is – a church, like a person, CANNOT do it all and it is foolish to even try. Along with that, just because a church is busy doesn’t mean that it is effective. More often than not it just means it’s tired, and most likely NOT effective.

 Horses in a race (often horses pulling carriages) wear blinders or blinkers. These devices are in place to remove distractions from the horse so that they are not thrown off track. Interestingly these blinkers are not to simply keep from distractions on the sides but are also to keep the horse – wait for it – from looking back!

 So in a way, the church must often put on blinders from periphery items that will distract from the goal. To remain focused on the track that they have been given.

No church can do it all, and they shouldn’t even try….

 

 

Mercy triumphs over judgement

There is a world outside the church doors that needs Jesus…there is an internal “thing” that they are wrestling with that is struggling for grace, love, forgiveness, purpose – a reconnection with the God who created them…

What saddens me is that far too often it is the church, the very “Followers” of Christ that will be the greatest hindrance to them finding Jesus.
 
The greatest threat to the Kingdom of God is not satan – Jesus said to a Follower of Christ (Peter) in Matthew 16:18
“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

So satan cannot overpower the church of Jesus Christ.
SO, what puts the kibosh on a growing , impacting Kingdom of God?

Again – it is the “Followers” that can stunt the growth. The world knows what the church hates, what the church stands firm against… but what if they knew what we loved, what we stood firm FOR, what really mattered to us… what if?????

The Christian band - Casting Crowns – wrote of this very thing in their song –
“Jesus, Friend of Sinners” – and I think we could take a lesson from these lyrics.

We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing

Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see

The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me

Always looking around but never looking up I'm so double minded

A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners

Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers -  

Let our hearts be led by mercy

It goes on later –   “Nobody knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded -  What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did”

WHAT IF???  The church didn’t PLAY church anymore…

WHAT IF???  Followers of Christ showed mercy and restoration

WHAT IF???  The church crossed over and loved like Jesus

WHAT IF???  Followers no longer pointed fingers but held out a hand of mercy

I dream of that… It makes me sad and elated at the same time – sad that we are not “BEING” this… but elated that it’s possible.

My prayer is that WE, the FOLLOWERS of CHRIST can be what we are called to be… the BODY of Jesus Christ…
Finally in the song from Casting Crowns…

Help us reach with open hearts and open doors

Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours

Whats going on?!?

1 Thessalonians 5:6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

“…so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”
 

Satan is no fool. The full on assault of the Christian faith will not be effective. He knows that and as such will not really attempt it. But, what he does know is that by slowly eroding the liberties, by making the practice of the faith something that is frowned upon, he can impact the whole belief system. 

Little by little the idea of being a Follower of Christ is chipped at, attacked from the side, that before you know it – the Body of Christ has been relegated to a “hate group” and will be forced to either deny the faith or die for the faith…

Here are some instances found on the web, I verified these statements to ensure that they are legitimate.

 

Christian faith coming under attack in the military including:

Commanders barred from disclosing any programs that are tied to the Chaplaincy or any programs involving religion.

 

The Air Force banning the word ‘God’ from an Air force patch logo – even though the reference had no religious connotation.

 

A Navy directive that banned Bibles at Walter Reed Hospital.

 

An Army Reserve training program that listed Evangelical Christians and Catholics as examples of religious extremism.

 

An Army email that listed prominent Christian ministries like the Family Research Council and American Family Association as “domestic hate groups.”

 

I personally have been told, when offering the invocation at a county council meeting that I could not say, mention or elude to the name of Christ or any other religious figure found in the bible. To whit – I closed my prayer – “…in Christ name I pray…” I wasn’t invited back. BUT – neither were several other local clergy when they too refused to abide by the request.

However, in other organizations (non-religious) – I was asked to pray, given no restrictions, prayed “in Jesus name” and was invited back multiple times. Not every institution is so bent on wiping the protestant religion out of the picture.

The issue still exists though, that Christianity is being slowly pushed to the side, and at this rate will be outlawed in the future.  That may sound like an alarmist… but the above statements from the military alarm me. You say it wont happen…but it will, not because the government or other groups force it… BUT WE ALLOW IT.

I cannot fault non-christens for eroding the liberties, the freedom of speech and religion, from the national scene, after all they are not believers, the behave and live as such… who I do struggle with is US!

Is it the fault of those who slowly erode those things or those who do nothing about it?

I believe that GOD has an expectation of us as Followers of Christ – to stand up and stop the slow erosion of faith.

In Acts 26:16 (NASB)

“But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you;”
 

So – BELIEVER – Stand up – get on your feet – find your voice… every Follower of Christ is commissioned a minister, a witness of Jesus Christ. 

We cannot blame the world for behaving like, making decisions like, the world. We who may sit silent are very possibly the culprit of allowing the deChristianing of our society.

Yes, it will make you look radical. Yes, it will make you look strange to the rest of society…

Jesus himself warned us – John 15:19

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”

I would rather be hated for standing for Christ than loved for standing for nothing…

 Wake up – stop the creep…take a look at one pastor who did...


http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/florida-pastor-to-defy-prayer-ban.html

Well we are at it again...
Last time is was Sandy Hook... NOW its the Boston marathon finish line with hundreds of innocent bystanders. This is another tragic incident, regardless of WHO is at fault it is still horrible. I will let the wise men and women in blue figure out who did it... we could speculate all day long and then find out it was something completely different. And there will be conspiricay theories that will abound. If you WANT to find a conspiricy in anything you can find something that will bolster your claim regardless of how far fetched it is..

The previous post I had in December still applies.

What weighs on me is when we realize it.
How is it that we cannot seem to put two and two together.
We will once again struggle for answers, the pendulum will swing to far the other way and our "we are from the government we are here to help" crowd will tell us that somehow all this is our fault so lets ban something because we are not resposible enough... (ok, no more political stuff).

But let me share a thought with you -
Paul told Timothy, gave Timothy some solid instruction about what to do.
 ^"All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness..."

2 Timothy 3:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

We stopped (as a nation) a long time ago teaching the basis and principles of God's word to our children. The repercussions of which we are experiencing today. No I am not saying some kids did this. BUT - we have not given our society the basis for real morals, but instead have tried to legistlate morality.

YOU cant. You cannot legislate morality for people who have no basis for morals. You cannot give moral instruction to people who are not willing to have their character shaped by the basis for the morals.

We have taken God out of the equation and made Him at best one "alternative" among many. Even though He has ALREADY told us that everything He has laid out for us is indeed FOR us... our life, our dealings with other... and YES to even correct us when need be.

 

When did we the people in order to form a more perfect nation forget that with out standards of living that are embraced by the whole the whole fails.

God gave us what we call the Bible, for our good, for our benefit, for our health, for society and it is all based on the foundation of Jesus Christ. When will we wake up and see that rather than scour and scoury for lifes' answers for a quick fix to a circumstance... we need to go back to the one who made us, who gave us life and who loves us (inspite of ourselves).... GOD, through Jesus Christ.

 

The answer remains the same... lets stop trying to make things up. HE is the answer.

 

Doug

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I wrote this immediately after 9-11 as we all tried to wrap our heads around the whole impact of what had just happened.

I share it with you because I believe that the tragic events of Dec 14 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut are just as staggering.
20 children between the ages of 5 and 10 were gunned down in a callous, unthinkable murder – and for what – we may never know.

BUT every parent of these 20 innocent little lives suffered their own life altering, gut wrenching 9-11.

So I simply share this with you as we all grieve for these families and the beautiful little lives take from them.

 

--------------------------------------------------

 Where Do We Turn From Here?                                                   Psalms 37:1-7

   Our lives have been rocked. Everything that seemed so solid has been shaken.
The twin towers of the World Trade Center. The Pentagon.
   Symbols of American strength and stability, taken out by terrorist attack. And the lives -- both those lost and those changed forever by the four homicidal jet crashes of September 11.
   Through a network of connections that unite us as families and friends and acquaintances across this country, every one of us has been affected in some real way by the devastation of that day.

   As Martin Luther King once said so well, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.

   Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly." And so we mourn -- mourn the fatalities and the casualties, as well as our own loss of innocence.
We have been attacked, and will never feel completely safe again.

AND  In times like these we ask questions – and it is ok to ask questions.

In fact we would not be the first to ask the hard questions of God. And He would not be God, if we could not ask Him the hard questions. And because we have a God in whom we can call ABBA, Father, because HE cares for His own -

   It's okay to ask "Why?"     Job did, even David did.

   These were men of God who were not afraid to talk with God and ask those hard questions.

Questions like…    Those from Job who cried: “I shout for help and there is not answer.”

Or, “Oh that I knew where I might find Him.” And, “I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer…”

Or from David who begged: “How long will you hide your face from me?”  And he questioned aloud… “My God, my God why have You forsaken me?”

   David even asked the question, “Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing?”

And when we find ourselves in such a place we ask many of the same questions. We may feel that God has forsaken this nation. When we experience something of this magnitude, be it a personal crisis or a national tragedy, our hearts cry out with questions. We cry out for help and listen for an answer. We like David will ask, “Where are You God?”

 We often feel that maybe God isn’t listening. Maybe we feel the need to get angry, to point a finger at God and blame. To accuse Him

But God listens. He lets His children ask the question that stone and wood cannot answer.

I wish I had all the answers for you today, I wish I could stand here today and tell you all the WHYS.     I don’t know, I too have asked the questions. I don’t have all the answers

I have a surprise for you though -  Job never got the answers, no where in the Book of Job did God answer the WHYS.  But Job knew, he knew where to turn – listen to the words of Job in chapter 42 –    
JOB 42:2-6

            “I know that You can do all things,   And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.   ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”   ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’  “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You;  Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes.”

New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. 1995 (Job 42:2–6). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

Job knew where to turn!

And in fact David did not even get answers and we may never know this side of heaven, the why or the how.  FAMILIES DO NOT let that discourage you…

   Because just as David and Job knew with all their heart…

That even though they did not have all the answers – they knew that God was all He promised. That God was the source of their strength. That God was their comforter.

    And God IS the source of our strength, God IS the source of our comfort. That God IS still alive, that God IS still on His throne and God IS still faithful to His children.

One of the questions we ask is often – “Now what?” Where do we turn now, what do we do now?” Where do we turn from here? Well, there is only one way to turn.

   At a time like this we turn to our knees. As someone has told me, “I go to my knees because I remember that there is a God and I am not Him.

   At a time like this, we turn to the ground ... to the solid ground that is our creating, redeeming, and sustaining Lord.

   At a time like this, we turn to the firmest of foundations, the mighty fortress that is our God. It's the only place of any strength and stability.

   At a time like this we turn to our church family. The unity that bears one another’s burdens.

At a time like this we turn to the comfort and saving grace found alone in Jesus Christ.

   At a time like this we turn to the very place Job and David knew to turn.

This morning take comfort in a word from God, that He does tell us where to turn.

  From Psalms 37:1-7 –

“Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass, And fade like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. And He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes.”

     As the Psalmist gives instruction:

Trust In the Lord - trust in Him and do the good and honorable thing. To cultivate faithfulness in Him, that He knows what the future holds.  It is in this trust that we as children of God exhibit a faith that others will see and know that God is still God and even though we don’t have all the answers we have God. For so man of us we take that for granted… I mean this… it is printed on our money but we don’t believe it nor do it. 

Now is the time that we need to turn and trust in Him.

Delight yourself in the Lord – doesn’t that seem like a strange word for a time like this? But it really isn’t. What a joy it is to know that in a time of national chaos that God is still beside you. Don’t believe it?

Think of the miraculous stories of survivors. You want to know where God is amidst this whole thing… Take delight in this… He was in the strong hands of a police chief who rode the building down almost 85 stories and lived, He was in the sweat and tears of thousands of volunteers. He is in the blood bank as people selflessly give of themselves. He is in the Capital when men and women pray… Take Delight in the fact that He still cares.

Now is the time that we turn and take joy in Him

 Commit your way to the Lord – here in verses 5 and 6 – God says if we will turn to Him, commit ourselves and our nation to Him… He will do all that we need, He will bring forth goodness and righteousness and it will be a beacon to all.  Even in 2 Chronicles 7:14 He promises that if we will humble ourselves and pray… He will hear us, forgive us and He will HEAL this nation.

Now is the time that we turn our life and our ways to Him.

 

Rest in the Lord –  there is no better comfort when you are hurting, when you feel alone and sad than to come and rest your head on Him.  He listens. He cares. He will cry with you and He will comfort you.

When you rest your mind and body, your heart and soul will find comfort. Rest in Him and wait, because He cares for His own. There are thousands who need physical rest today, but there are millions who need spiritual rest.

Now is the time that we turn and rest in Him.

 Where Do We Turn From Here? That answer is simple… we turn fully to Him

 

For several thousands of people – Wednesday never came. Some I am sure had turned to Him already, but sadly some had not. Millions today are given the opportunity to turn to Him, they may not have tomorrow but they have today. You may not have ever turned to Him… but you can today.

------------------------------------------------------

 

For  20 children, for 6 adults who were gunned down for no reason… Saturday never came. For their families Christmas will come but it will never be the same. I pray that all of this tragedy causes us all to stop and turn to the God who can and will comfort…

A lady once came to evangelist Billy Sunday and tried to rationalize her angry outbursts. “There’s nothing wrong with losing my temper,” She said. “I blow up, and then it’s all over.”  “So does a shotgun,” Sunday replied, “and look at the damage it leaves behind!”

Getting angry can sometimes be like leaping into a race car, gunning the motor, going zero to 100 in 4.4 seconds and then finding out that the brakes don’t work.  We all know what anger is. We have felt it, dealt with it and suffered because of it… And when it gets out of control it turns destructive, it can lead to problems—problems at work, in your personal relationships, and in the overall quality of your life.

I would have to say that 90% of what we get angry about doesn’t really matter.

Think of the last time you got “angry.”  
Was it about something worthwhile?
Was it something that really mattered in life?
Was it simply because you didn’t get your way, something didn’t go the way you expected, or you didn’t like the person you had to deal with?
What we get angry about is – silly stuff.  Sadly too few of us get angry for the right reasons… yes, even Christians.

Some Christians even think that getting angry is a sin – but folks – getting angry isn’t a sin, what you get angry at and what you do with it… well that is a different story.

In Mark 3 verse 5 is says that Jesus got “angry” at the hardness of the Pharisees’ heart.

Jesus’ anger was what we call – “Righteous indignation.”  Indignation is anger aroused by something unjust, unworthy, mean or hard hearted.   Jesus’ anger was a combination of resentment and a broken heart.

You know… If you cannot hate what is wrong, it’s becomes questionable if you really love right.

Some people suppress anger, holding anger inside in unhealthy ways.  Some people wrongly express anger, by griping, sarcasm, rage, intimidation and blame.    

Some people become passive with anger. In a battle for superiority, passively angry people have a need to control without being transparent or open.     Some people are assertive with anger. Failure to share feelings in a constructive way may produce assertive anger.  

Everyone needs to deal with anger. Folks, you can't eliminate anger – but what you do with it can make a world of difference in your life. Jesus was one who could be angry and not sin. And He is our example.

Here are a few suggestions on how you can get - ANGRY THE RIGHT WAY! 

James 1:19-20

This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.

TALK IT OVER –James 1:19a (quick to hear, slow to speak)

     If you will simply talk to the right person (not 50 others) - approach them with kindness and an attempt and attitude to make right – then you might find that a cup of coffee and a 30 minute conversation could diffuse an irritating situation.

 THINK CLEARLY - James 1:19b-20 – Anger can blind your thought process.      

      Ill directed anger is not going to fix anything - it won't make you feel better (may actually make you feel worse). If you think clearly you see problems and situations for what they are, not what you perceive through angry eyes. James 1:20 – “for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.”

Reacting instead of responding will not achieve the Godly results.

TAKE TIME – to consider what is good and right - Philippians 4:8

     When you get unjustifiably angry you don’t see much else… you don’t seem better solutions, you don’t see the damage you might be creating… Take time to consider all the aspects this way you will make sure you are getting upset about the right stuff, not the silly stuff.  Consider the right things to do in response.

 TAKE POSITIVE ACTION - consider solutions rather than just the problem.

Anyone can find problems, anyone can get angry about anything… but Christian men and women should be those who can get angry and their anger (righteous indignation) leads to positive actions and answers – to actually DO SOMETHING.

     Jesus’ anger was a mix of anguish and compassion – BUT - His anger resulted in POSITIVE ACTION – it moved Him to do something, something positive… Shooting a doctor who performs abortions is not the proper response to the anger the procedure might produce in you… Murdering in the name of God does not lead to a very good witness.

Jesus had the power to wipe out the Pharisees, instead He used that power to heal.

You have been told “Don’t Get Mad – Get Even”  But take Jesus’ example
Don’t Get Mad– Get Right.

 Looking to His Tomorrow – living in the trenches for Him Today…

Doug

John 10:10 “…I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”

 

Wrestling your gators!

Wrestling your gators!

Did you ever watched the show "Crocodile Hunter?"

It is about this very odd fellow from Australia who wrestles extremely dangerous animals; he gets up close and personal with alligators, crocs and super poisonous snakes. I do not advocate anyone picking up man eating animals or anything that can bite you and kill you within two steps!

But there is something about what the "Croc Hunter" does.

 Many times, he takes these animals captive so they cannot harm anyone?

It got me to thinking - that is what we are supposed to do as Christians -

Paul says it in 2 Corinthians 10:5
"We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ?"

As Christians you are to look into your own life and wrestle with those things that poison who you are, to take captive those man-eating creatures that can turn on you and eat away at your life.

What are the alligators, crocs, and snakes that we wrestle with, ones that we are called to take captive?

Well they are things like - Envy - Jealousy - Anger - Pride - Arrogance - Revenge - Impatience - Rudeness ? Can you think of any others?

There is a reason that we are supposed to "capture those thoughts" - Jesus said it in Matthew 21-22 and 27-29 - that is, the thought that we harbor in our secret lives will turn into the dangerous animal that will poison us, attack us spiritually and then manifest itself in our actions and try to attack those around us.

 Proverbs 4:23 tells us that we are to - "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flows the springs of life."

Max Lucado wrote a wonderful note about this -

Today's thoughts are tomorrow's actions -
Today's jealousy is tomorrow's temper tantrum -
Today's bigotry is tomorrow's hate crime -
Today's anger is tomorrow's abuse -
Today's lust in tomorrow's adultery -
Today's greed is tomorrow's embezzlement -
Today's guilt is tomorrow's fear

When I was growing up we didn't have a Crocodile Hunter - we had Marlin Perkins and his buddy Jim on Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. Marlin never got on the ground and dealt with the animals, Jim however was ALWAYS wrestling deadly creatures (while Marlin watched and commented).

Unfortunately too many of us are like Marlin - we know that the animal has to be captured but we sit in the back of the truck or in the helicopter and watch as someone else (Jim) wrestles with it.

For some reason we are too afraid to wrestle our own beasts and take them captive because we know that there is a danger involved. Oh, we do good at describing someone else doing it, and we are even better at giving someone else advice on how to do it.

But the bible tells us how we can capture those things and the "what" to replace them with -

 Paul says it in Philippians 4:8

"And now, brothers, as I close this letter let me say this one more thing: Fix your thoughts on what is true and good and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely, and dwell on the fine, good things in others. Think about all you can praise God for and be glad about." (Living Bible)

 And Paul gave us the reason for it - that as Christians we live under the law of Christ and that is the law of Love. In 1 Corinthians 13 - we see more of what should be living in our hearts - love not arrogance, love not impatience, love not greed, love not selfishness, love not rudeness, love not jealousy?

We have a choice - we can wrestle and take those things captive that are eating away at our life or we can let them lurk around inside, sneak up on us, poison every thing we do or possibly even kill our lives?

 What beast do you need to wrestle with, capture and take captive?